The New People’s Army has claimed responsibility for the killing of a farmer who was shot dead in Barangay Santol, Binalbagan, Negros Occidental, on Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 17.
Police reported that the shooting happened at around 2:30 p.m. in Sitio Sulbod, where a 48-year-old married farmer was killed while his 25-year-old companion was wounded.
The Binalbagan police said the victims were in a sugarcane field where the farmer was clearing rocks from the road to allow a sugarcane truck to pass while harvested cane was being loaded.
Authorities said unidentified suspects suddenly fired several gunshots from a distance.
The farmer sustained gunshot wounds to his right arm and head and was declared dead on arrival at the Ignacio Lacson Arroyo Sr. Memorial District Hospital, while the wounded laborer was reported to be in stable condition.
In a statement released later in the day, the Romeo Nanta Command of the South Central Negros Guerrilla Front claimed the killing, describing it as a “punitive action.”
The armed group alleged that the victim, identified in their statement as Rey Norquiana, was an intelligence asset of the Philippine Army’s 94th Infantry Battalion and accused him of organizing an intelligence network in Brgy. Santol.
The NPA claimed the victim had been previously warned to stop cooperating with government forces but allegedly resumed such activities.
Police said they are continuing their investigation and coordinating with barangay officials to identify witnesses and establish the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the claims made by the NPA, and no arrests have been reported.*
[sibwp_form id=1]